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Pacioretty Scores In OT To Lift Canadiens Past Stars, 4-3

DALLAS (AP) – Max Pacioretty helped the Montreal Canadiens get another big overtime win, scored the winning goal in the extra period for the second straight night.

Pacioretty’s second goal of the game, on a breakaway 19 seconds into overtime, lifted the Canadiens to a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

He took a pass from Jeff Petry and skated in on Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen for the win. Montreal was playing its fifth straight overtime game and improved to 3-0-2 in the stretch.

The Canadiens are now 5-6 in overtime this season.

“The road hasn’t been perfect for us this year,” Pacioretty said. “We weren’t great in overtime, so it’s a little bit of a blessing that we’ve played this many overtime games in a row since we’ve gotten a little bit better at it.”

Pacioretty’s eight career overtime goals are a franchise record. He has 33 game-winning goals since 2013-14, trailing only Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (35) during that stretch.

“(Pacioretty)’s got a lot of passion in his game and he’s working extremely hard,” Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. “This is what you’re looking for from your captain and just follow your leaders.

“He’s got a great attitude. He’s been really good for us.”

Nathan Beaulieu had a goal and two assists and Alexander Radulov also scored for the Canadiens. Al Montoya stopped 39 shots and Shea Weber added two assists.

Dallas’ Esa Lindell scored with 2:47 left in regulation time to tie the game.

Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg also scored for the Stars, and Lehtonen finished with 29 saves.

“I thought we beat ourselves,” Dallas coach Lindy Ruff said. “We were in perfect position in overtime, and just let the high guy go, which is totally unacceptable. It’s another point we gave away. They didn’t earn it.”

Radulov and Pacioretty scored power-play goals to give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead 4:13 into the third period.

“We got some momentum and stepped up when we needed it,” Pacioretty said.

The Stars had been off since Saturday. In addition to playing back-to-back nights at Nashville and Dallas, Montreal lost two skaters on Wednesday, Paul Byron late in the first period and Brendan Gallagher for the third.

“It was a tough game to play, to be quite honest, with the emotion that we got yesterday and the traveling,” Therrien said. “We find ways to win the third period, and find a way to win. The character, the work ethic of that group, it’s phenomenal.”

Beaulieu scored the game’s first goal at 10:38 of the first period. He took a pass from Phillip Danault in the left faceoff circle and sent a wrist shot past Lehtonen into the right side of the net.

A minute and a half later, Danault skated in after Jordie Benn’s shot trickled behind Montoya, and backhanded the puck down the ice.
Seguin tied the game at 1 by deflecting in Stephen Johns’ slap shot from the right point with 5:16 left in the first.

Klingberg’s power-play goal with about 7 1/2 minutes left in the second put the Stars up 2-1.

NOTES: Montreal is 5-6 in overtime this season. The Stars are 2-8. … Radulov has three goals and three assists during a five-game scoring streak. … Seguin leads Dallas with 14 goals, 25 assists and 39 points. He has points in five straight games (four goals, three assists). … For the first time since April 11, 2014, Stars captain Jamie Benn did not play. He injured a foot in Saturday’s game. … LW Antoine Roussel returned after missing four games because of an upper-body injury. … C Jason Spezza assisted on Klingberg’s goal, and now has more points against Montreal than any other team (68 on 31 goals and 37 assists in 59 games).

UP NEXT
Canadiens: At Toronto on Saturday in the finale of a seven-game trip.